


Clown

by The_Samurai_Prince



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, IT - Stephen King
Genre: As well as Korra, Comics Don't Exist In This, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Horror, Supernatural - Freeform, Suspense, What if Pennywise landed in Republic City?, avatar AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-25 05:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14371755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Samurai_Prince/pseuds/The_Samurai_Prince
Summary: Something is happening in Republic City. Murders, both adult and children alike, are occurring at an alarming rate. And yet, no one is doing anything about it. Only the Gaang are aware of it, but as they get closer to the truth, they see their worst fears right in front of them. What exactly is doing all of this? Is it a Spirit? ...Or something even worse?





	1. It's Here

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this will be a daunting task, mainly because I haven't watched Legend of Korra whatsoever, but hopefully I can make this work! :O
> 
> But yeah, this little crossover/fusion idea came to me when I thought, 'what would happen if an entity like Pennywise came into the Avatar world?'. Thus, this was born! Just to let you all know, my pairing preferences are here cause I feel like that these pairings were going to be endgame until Bryke screwed all of that up. DX
> 
> Anyways, I'll try to keep Pennywise's(or as it's called It) as close to 'its'(oh, ha ha) novel/TV/movie counterpart as possible. So its still gonna be the same evil, demented, horrible character that it is. ;)
> 
> Now onto the disclaimer!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own ATLA, or Stephen King's IT Pennywise. ATLA is owned by Nick, while IT is owned by...well, Stephen King. This is a fan made story that I'm not making money off of. This is just for creativity and fun. ;)

_The vastness of the Universe is sometimes magical. We ask ourselves, "What is out there?", "Why is it out there?", and "What is its purpose?"._

_While some ponder, some learn. They learn the mysteries of the Universe, knowing its secrets. New discoveries are found whenever the chance presents itself. But no matter how much they've learned about this plane, it comes down to this: it always changes. Such_  are _the wonders of the Universe._

_Trillions, perhaps more, Stars are held into place. Billions, perhaps more, Galaxies are held into place. And the Universe, itself, is held in its place._

_Which begs the question; what is_  outside  _the_   _Universe?_

_Some call it the Outer Realm. Some call it the Vastness. But in reality, they are called Verses. Each Verse is outside the other Verse, continuing to expand even further. The highest of these Verses is the Omniverse, where everything in existence is held all into the other Verses._

_But even then, what_ is  _outside the Omniverse?_

_The answer to that would be the Macroverse; an unknown Verse full of vast space._

_But what resides in that vastness of space?_

_We, as mortals, do not know the answer, as we are still learning about the Universe we live in ourselves. Only the Higher Beings and the Great One know of the Cosmos._

_However, there are some things in the Cosmos, even in the Macroverse, that should_ never _be known..._

* * *

**-CLOWN-**

* * *

_-In a grand hotel in Republic City-_

"Suki, could you tie this up for me, please?" A twenty-two-year-old Katara asked her twenty-three-year-old warrior gal pal and her sister-in-law, showing her bare back as she held the front of her aqua blue strapless bodice dress to her moderate chest. The outfit flowed down as it reached to the floor, her hair stylized into braids and curls, where a see-through veil was planted on top of her head. As of now, she is preparing for the most important day of her life; her wedding day.

"Sure thing, Kat!" Suki got up from her chair with a smile. She went over to her waterbending friend and grabbed the back laces of her wedding dress, tying them into knots.

"Thanks," Katara said once Suki tied the last one. She sighed, "My goodness, this is actually happening..."

"I know! Aren't you excited?" Suki asked her in glee.

"Yeah, of course I am! I'm just...nervous and dumbstruck right now." Katara answered honestly.

"Huh? Okay, nervous I can understand, but what do you mean by dumbstruck?" Suki asked in slight confusion.

"Well, I'm dumbstruck because...I'm getting married. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was fourteen and fighting in a war...and now I'm getting  _married_." Katara explained to her.

Suki chuckled, "Hey, time flies. Especially when you're rebuilding the world back to its feet."

Katara turned her head to Suki with a smile. "Yeah...still, I never thought I'd be at this point in my life. And with Aang nonetheless."

"Well, I can get why you would be in shock. I mean, he  _is_ the Avatar after all, and you  _are_ marrying him. He's a pretty intimidating figure right now." Suki commented.

"Twinkles 'intimidating'? Please, Momo was more intimidating than him." said a familiar female's voice. The two women looked at the door, as the twenty-year-old Greatest Earthbender in the World, Toph, entered the room.

"Toph!" Katara exclaimed in happiness. Lifting the front of her skirt so she can run easily, she made her way quickly to her earthbender friend and maid-of-honor. She gave Toph a big hug, wrapping her arms around her small frame. "Oh thank goodness! I thought you wouldn't make it!"

Toph chuckled, patting her on the back. "What? And miss you and Twinkle Toes' wedding? I may be Chief of RC, but that doesn't mean I can't take a day off to, well, 'sense' my two friends getting hitched."

Katara let go of Toph and stared at her, eyes softened in gratitude. "Thank you for being here, Toph."

"Hey, I am the maid-of-honor; I'm just doing my part," Toph smirked.

Suki eyed Toph's attire, "Um, Toph, your dress needs adjusting. The chest area almost looks like it's about to burst."

Toph scoffed. "You think I don't know that? I've been trying to adjust this stupid thing for what feels like hours!"

The Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors giggled, "Wow, if I don't know any better, I think you were trying to get some action there, Toph."

"Pfft! Please, what do you take me for, a desperate old leopard-cougar? I just can't get this dumb dress to cooperate!" Toph explained as she grabbed the chest hem of her strapless green dress, shifting it to make her ample bosoms go in.

"Toph! That's not how you adjust a dress!" Katara said in disapproval.

"Obviously." Toph rolled her sightless eyes for effect. "But you got to admit, I did good with at least putting it on."

"You put the dress on by yourself?" Suki asked in slight surprise.

"Yeah. I'm capable of putting on frilly dresses by myself." Toph answered with a shrug. "It's basically the reason why I'm a little late."

"Toph, my wedding doesn't start in an hour."

"Really? Huh. Thanks for telling me that, Sugar Queen. I feel a little better." Toph smirked.

Katara rolled her eyes with a smile. "Here Toph, I'll help you with your dress."

"Sure you not trying to cop a feel?" the petite earthbender jested.

"Toph!"

Suki laughed. "I have to say, who would've thought our little Toph would grow so much over the years?"

"Hey, don't sell yourselves short. From the vibrations I sensed, you girls got it going on. I mean, come on, Sugar Queen, even if you don't have a chest, you still got a posterior."

"You have one as well too, Toph," Katara smirked.

"Damn straight! Just don't call me fat." Toph warns.

"Hey, I know I got it going on. Sokka keeps telling me that every day." Suki said with a smirk as well. "He even tells me that I still look good in my Kyoshi Warrior getup when we roleplay."

"Whoa! Too much information there, Fan Girl." Toph cringed.

"Uh, yeah Suki, as your sister-in-law, I don't want need to know about yours and my brother's sexcapades," Katara said with a grimace.

"Hey, just saying we're pretty active," Suki commented proudly.

"Ah! Lalala! Not hearing you!" Toph said with her fingers in her ears.

"Okay, let's just drop this and get back to fixing your dress, Toph," Katara said as she helped adjust the chests hem.

As soon as she was almost done with it, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Katara asked through the door.

"It's Zuko," Toph answered for her.

"Zuko?" Katara straightened up.

"Um...yes. What Toph said." came Zuko's sheepish voice on the other side of the door.

Suki went over to the door and opened it to reveal the twenty-four-year-old Fire Lord himself, Zuko, as he dressed in what almost looked like his red Fire Lord garb, except it looks a little less formal. His attire still carried an air of sophistication to it though.

"Um...hi," Zuko says awkwardly.

"Hi, Zuko!" Suki said with a smile.

As soon as he entered the room, he blinked, seeing that Toph was messing with the chest hem of her dress.

"Toph! We have a male in the room!" Katara scolded her.

"Pfft! I bet this is the best action he's seen ever since Mai dumped him." Toph mumbled.

Zuko blushed and cleared his throat.

Katara sighed exasperatedly, turning to Zuko with an apologetic smile. "Hey, Zuko."

"Hey, Katara." Zuko smiled softly. He turned to Suki, "I actually came by to tell you, Suki, that your husband is about to raid the food from the wedding reception. He's 'secretly' stuffing food into his, as he likes to call it, 'man purse'."

"What!? He just ate something before we got here!" Suki said in disbelief.

"And you believe he would be content with that? Snoozles is like a bottomless pit when it comes to food." Toph quipped.

"Ugh! That man. Thanks Zuko." Suki then dashed out of the room.

The three of them stood there for a moment in the room, until Zuko said, "So, um, how's everything going so far?"

Katara gave him a kind smile. "Oh, you know, just trying to get myself fitted into my wedding dress. How's being the best man?"

Before Zuko could answer, Toph piped up, "You know, I better go help out Fan Girl. There's a chance that Snoozles may hide the food and lie about it, and well, I am a lie detector, so...see ya." Toph said as she made her way out of the room, closing the door.

Katara pouted. "I haven't even fixed her top yet."

Zuko chuckled. Glancing at the waterbender, he said, "To answer your question, it has its perks."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, for one, no paperwork."

Katara giggled at the joke. As she stood in front of Zuko, she took an audible deep breath.

Zuko frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I just...this is actually  _happening_. Me getting... _married_." Katara said, almost as if she is processing this information.

Zuko's frown turned poignant. "Is...everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I just...I guess everything is hitting me at this moment." Katara stated, looking at the floor in thought.

Zuko stared at the dark-skinned waterbending beauty, his eyes showing a sense of understanding, and yet...something else. Something that he wished he could, or could've, said back then...but didn't.

Katara looked up at Zuko, her beautiful blue orbs filled with such maturity and hope. The kind of hope that made Zuko kept going through his trials, to try to fix a world torn by a hundred-year-old war, to try to bring harmony back to the Four Nations with the assistance of the Avatar. It was the kind of hope that made him fill at ease.

"So...how's Azula?" Katara asked, snapping Zuko out of his thoughts.

"Uh...she's...kind of the same," Zuko answered glumly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Katara frowned at that. "Oh...well, 'kind of' is a start, isn't it?"

Zuko looked at her with a slight smile. "Yeah...she asked about Mother in a more sincere way. That was almost a point to the right direction."

Katara nodded with a smile. "That's good to know."

"Yeah...ever since...father committed suicide...she's getting more and more restless." Zuko looked crestfallen when saying that.

Katara went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, it's not your fault. He wasn't stable."

"I couldn't send him to a psychiatric ward. Azula was there, and...I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk them plotting my demise." Zuko said, his eyes dull as he looked down.

Katara winced. "Zuko...you still have your mother and uncle. And you have us...that's all the family you need. Don't beat yourself up for it. You...you give us hope, Zuko."

Zuko looked up at the waterbender in surprise.

"You may have had a rough start...but you overcame your trials and know what was right. You weren't like your father...you have the power to change things for the better, and it showed. Everyone is slowly coming back into harmony...thanks to you and Aang."

The Fire Lord looked at Katara, eyes filling up with such warm gratitude as he smiled sincerely at her words. "You always know what to say, Katara."

Katara smiled back at him.

"You know...you all give me hope as well. Especially you, Katara," Zuko added.

Katara blinked and blushed lightly at what he said. "R-Really?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes, you do. You are the most hopeful person I've ever met, and I couldn't ask for a better friend than that. And...I just want to thank you for helping me out through all the times that I had, let it be family related, making decisions, and for just...being there. Thank you, Katara."

Releasing her hand on his shoulder, Katara felt shy all of a sudden. Looking to her left, her face felt warmer from all the praise. "Th-Thank you, Zuko."

Zuko gave out with what looked like a sad smile, "Aang is really lucky to have you."

Katara turned back to Zuko, a little stunned.

Zuko's smile dropped, feeling like he said too much. He cleared his throat. "Uh, speaking of Aang, I better get back to seeing how he's holding up."

"Uh, yeah," Katara said as she shook her head slightly. She then chuckled. "Wow Zuko, you really are one smooth talker."

Eyes widened, Zuko blushed as well, feeling a little flustered. "Um...I'm just...being a good friend."

Katara looked at him with an appreciative smile. "Well, thank you for being a  _great_  friend, Zuko."

Zuko softly smiled back at her. They stood there for a couple of seconds, until he said, "Well...I hope you have a wonderful wedding, Katara. I'm...really happy for you."

Katara nodded with a look of pure warmth, "Thank you, Zuko..."

Zuko nodded as he gave her one last smile before leaving the room.

* * *

A twenty-year-old Aang looked at himself in the mirror, wearing a traditional orange Air Nomad's robe used for weddings. He took a deep breath...

"Creampuff, Aang?"

"What?" Aang turned to a twenty-three-year-old Sokka sitting on one of the chairs, enjoying a tasty treat he got from the wedding reception. The Avatar sees the sweet confection in the warrior's hand being given to him. "Oh...no thanks, Sokka."

Sokka shrugged. "Suit yourself." he popped it in his mouth.

"Did you seriously just stuff all the food you can carry in that purse?" Aang asked.

" _Man_ purse, my future brother-in-law." Sokka corrected him.

"That still doesn't sound manly in the slightest."

The Water Tribe warrior scowled exaggeratedly. " _Anyways_ , yes, I did. But not a lot! I just want to try out all these delicious confections before you and my sis get hitched. I'm hiding here so Suki won't find me with the evidence."

Aang raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you eat anything?"

"Of course I did, but it was all vegetables! Man, Suki is trying really hard to hook me onto that vegetable diet, but it's just not filling enough!"

The Avatar blinked. "Hey, I get full on vegetables."

"Yeah, but that's because you're you, Twinkle Toes." said a familiar new voice in the room that's feminine. The two men looked at the door, which it was Toph who entered.

Aang smiled in glee, "Toph, you-" then he realized that Toph's top is showing a little bit of cleavage, making him blush a bit. "...you made it."

Toph raised an eyebrow at Aang's hesitated tone until she realized why. She was about to say something about it - or more like tease him about it when Sokka beat her to it. "Wow. They look bigger without the armor."

"Shut up, Snoozles," Toph warns.

Sokka raised his hands up in defense. Aang looked away from Toph and said to his friend, "G-Glad you made it, Toph."

Toph chuckled. "Why so flustered about it, Twinkles? You're getting married soon, you'll be seeing lady parts sooner or later."

"T-Toph!" Aang exclaimed in shock.

Toph rolled her unseeing eyes. "Sheesh, Twinkle Toes, you  _are_ a monk. Oh, and by the way, Meat Head, your wife is looking for you. She knows that you've been taking food from the reception."

"Say what!? How?" Sokka said in a panic.

"Zuko." Toph simply said.

"Really!? Augh! Zuko! That jerk-bender! Just cause  _he's_ the best man, doesn't mean he can gopher-rat on me!" Sokka pouted.

Aang frowned. "Um...I want to say sorry again for not letting you be the 'best man' by the way, Sokka."

"Look, Aang, don't worry about it. I'm not sore about that anymore. Although, now I need to get back at that two-timing Hot-Head!" Sokka stood up from his chair, his man purse slung over his shoulder. "In the meantime, as much as it pains me to do this, but I got to dispose of the evidence! See ya at the wedding, Aang! And maybe Katara can fix that top part for you, Toph!" He ran out of the room, closing the door on his way out.

Thus, leaves the Avatar and Greatest Earthbender in the World all alone.

"Where is he even gonna dump it all?" Aang asked honestly.

"Who knows?" Toph said with a shrug. "The men's bathroom, probably."

Aang chuckled. "I can actually imagine him doing that."

Toph smirked and chortled. "Yeah, me too. In fact..." she stomped her foot. "...Yep, he is."

Aang full on laughed, while Toph snickered. Easing his laughter by holding onto his stomach, it faded away as he fully looked at Toph. She looked beautiful, as her strapless outfit kind of hugged her form really well, showing her toned arms, that showcasing her-

"You know, staring is kind of rude, Twinkles."

Eyes widened and face blushing, Aang quickly said, "S-Sorry Toph! I=It's just...well..."

Toph snorted in amusement. "Hey, I know. I'm a looker now. The boys at the office always give me compliments just to suck up to me. Just remember that this is your  _wedding_  with  _Katara_ , Aang, so don't get any ideas."

Aang chuckled, feeling at ease. "Of course! And don't worry, I wouldn't do that to Katara. I love her too much to do something like that."

Toph's overconfident posture changed a bit. "Good..."

Aang scratched his right cheek meekly, "Although, I am with Sokka on the top part. You need to let Katara help you out with that. You wouldn't want a, um...wardrobe malfunction happening anytime soon."

The petite earthbender laughed good at that. " _Wardrobe malfunction_? Wow, Twinkles, you made that up by yourself on the spot?"

"Surprisingly, yes I did," Aang said with a proud grin.

Toph chuckled. "Well, I guess my humor is finally rubbing off on ya, Twinkles! And actually, yeah, I don't want the headlines to read 'Chief of Republic City Flashes Everyone at the Avatar's Wedding". That wouldn't go too well for my image and the city."

Aang laughed softly. "Well, it's still good to see that you're here, Toph. I'm glad you're part of this."

"Yeah...I am too." Toph turned around and made her way to the door until she stopped. "Will you be able to handle it?"

Aang blinked. "Handle what?"

"Marriage. It's like a big step to some people, isn't it?"

Aang stood there, lowering his head in thought as he contemplates her words. "Yeah, it is..." he pondered about it some more. "...I think I can handle it. I mean, I handled a war, I sure as heck could handle something like marriage."

"Don't get too overconfident there, Twinkles. From what I witnessed in Gaoling when I was younger, my parents were very committed to each other. You have to be there for Katara at all times whenever she needs it."

Aang's face and tone grew serious. "Don't worry, Toph, I will. I'll be by her side no matter what."

Toph stood there for a moment, until she said, "Okay then." she turned around to Aang, letting her sightless vision land on Aang with a slight smile. "In that case, I hope you two have a good marriage."

Aang smiled at his good friend and earthbending sifu. "Thank you, Toph. That means a lot."

"No problem," Toph smirked, turning around to walk towards the door. "I'll see you at the wedding, Twinkles."

"You too, Toph," Aang said, his smile warm. "And...you look really beautiful today."

Toph stopped for just a moment. "Thank you, Aang," she said in a quick but sincere way. She opened the door and left the room.

* * *

Toph closed the door behind her, her face giving out a hue of red. Frowning, she took a deep breath.

"...Damn," she whispered.

"Toph?"

The woman recognized the footsteps and the voice. It was Zuko.

"Oh, hey Sparky," Toph said in her usual tone.

"Hey...what were you doing in the groom's room?" Zuko asked curiously.

Toph raised an eyebrow as she walked away from the door to Aang's changing room over to Zuko. "Well, I sensed Sokka in there to tell him you gopher-ratted him out, which he's mad at you, by the way, and talked to Aang a little bit. The question I should ask you now, is what were  _you_ still doing in the bride's room?"

Zuko blushed. "I was just...making sure she was faring well with all this...wedding stuff, you know?"

"Hmm." Toph nodded. "Yeah. Been kind of telling Twinkles about marriage and whatnot...how it's more of a commitment than being with the one you...love. I mean, I wouldn't know, I'm not married...but I would think that's how it would go."

Zuko hummed and nodded in agreement.

They both stood there for a moment, letting this comfortable, yet unwanted silence washes over them.

"...We're two peas in a pod, aren't we?" Toph said a little forlornly.

"Huh?" Zuko asked in confusion.

The earthbender chuckled soberly. "I'll let you figure that out. In the meantime, I got to let Katara fix this dress of mine. See ya at the wedding, Zuko." And with that, she walked back her way to the bride's changing room.

Zuko watched her go, wondering what she meant by that earlier statement she said. His eyes widened when he realized the context of that sentence. Before he could call out to Toph, she was already around the corner. The Fire Lord stood there with a sad frown on his face.

"...Yeah. Two peas in a pod." Zuko said solemnly.

"Zuko?" said older man's voice.

Zuko turned around to see that it was his Iroh, his Uncle.

"Hey Uncle," Zuko said with a somber smile.

"Hello, my Nephew. I just came by to tell you that your mother has arrived." Iroh informed, his face showing concern when he saw his nephew's frown.

"Oh, that's wonderful..." Zuko said a little melancholy.

"Are you okay, Zuko?" Iroh asked.

Zuko stayed silent until he sighed. "I'm fine, Uncle..."

Not believing his statement, Iroh went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered. "Zuko...I can tell them that you're not feeling well if you want me to."

"No Uncle, I'm not a coward...I can get through this." Zuko said deliberately.

Iroh frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah...I mean, I  _am_ the best man." Zuko clarified.

Iroh hummed in partial agreement. He patted his shoulder and said, "Zuko, this may be a difficult time for you...but I believe Fate always works out well with these type of things. Fate is a good companion to Love, and Love is always pure. So do not feel like you've missed that chance. There will always be a door of opportunity somewhere down that line. Right now may not be the best time, but maybe in the future, in this lifetime, you'll find it...just always be hopeful, Zuko, and count your blessings."

Zuko looked at his Uncle with sad eyes but gave him another somber smile. "I will, Uncle."

The retired General nodded with a solemn smile of his own, letting go of Zuko's shoulder. "You will find happiness someday, Zuko. Whether it is from someone else, or if it really is from her, you will find it. Just do not lose hope, my dear Nephew."

Zuko's smile turned heartfelt. "I won't, Uncle. Thank you."

Iroh nodded, smiling at his surrogate son with compassion. "You are most welcome, Zuko."

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Zuko said, "I'm going to go outside to get some air."

"Do as you must, Nephew," Iroh said, watching the young Fire Lord go down the hall.

* * *

Zuko arrived out in the large hotel courtyard where the wedding ceremony is being held. Everything looked glamorous, to the decorations, to the altar, to the structures, and to the planted courtyard trees surrounding the event.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. Katara wanted to let the wedding take place at night, which was very poetic, he realized. Katara does rise with the moon...and she does look beautiful when the moon hits her form...

Zuko grunted in frustration, shaking his head as he continued to look up at the night sky.

It was then, in an instant, he saw a shooting star, speeding through the starry night.

Processing what he just saw, he kept looking up at the sky. He sighed and walked back inside the hotel...

* * *

"Whew! I had to take that leak!" said a male drunken vagrant as he finished relieving himself at the sewer stream.

As he staggered away from the sewer tunnel entrance that was a little ways away from Republic City, he mumbled to himself. "Whoa, I drank too much. Heh, nice of the feller to give me that free booze at the bar though!"

He sat on the concrete ground and lets himself rest against the wall. Staring up at the night sky, he said to himself. "It sure is pretty out tonight...a good full moon..."

As he relaxed, he began to drift off to sleep, soon giving out snores...

...It was then something bright shined past through his closed eyelids.

"Huh?" the homeless man gradually opened his eyes. From where he was sleeping, he looked to his left...

He sat up quickly, his eyes now became even more open.

"What...?"

The light in question looked bright white, and it traveled through the sewer tunnel entrance. The light itself looked...shapeless, yet it was trying to form a shape. The thing was morphing as it floated –  _floated –_  into the sewer tunnel. It went in, illuminating the tunnel as it made its way through...

Then...the light faded away into the tunnel.

The vagrant, a little bit in shock, got up with a falter in his posture and looked ahead toward the dark tunnel.

"Whoa...what was that?" he asked to no one. Perhaps he drank harder than he thought. However, it was then he heard something alarming...

The man froze at the sound.

"Huh?"

...There were pained grunts coming from the tunnel; grunts that almost sounded...primal.

He stood there, unsure of what he should do. "What kind of animal makes that sound?" he said to himself quietly.

Should he inform the authorities? Should he get someone who knows about animals? Should he even investigate?

He made steady and slow steps to the entrance of the tunnel, the foreign noises still emitting out of it.

Then, everything became quiet...

The suddenly sober man, now on high alert, stopped in front of the entrance.

It was still quiet...which made the man feel even more uneasy.

"H-Hello?" he stuttered, feeling almost a little afraid.

That was all it took.

With a dark growl and a roar, something grabbed the man and violently pulled him into the sewer tunnel. The man didn't have time to scream. He was pulled,  _flown_  into the darkness, his fate sealed as a loud  _crunch_  echoed throughout the tunnel.

The only sound that's being made, were small, yet loud wet crunches, as whatever grabbed the vagrant was  _gorging_  itself.

And then, after a minute of the disgusting sounds...it was silent.

 


	2. It Waits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine years later, the Gaang are happily living their lives in Republic City. But when a blood-bending maniac disrupts the peace and starts killing innocent victims, Aang, who returned early from training air-benders at the Eastern Air Temple, tries to stop the killer along with Toph.
> 
> However, when blood first spilled on Republic City grounds...something awakened...and when it did, it waits for the right moment to come out and make itself known...
> 
> It will feed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Finally updated this! Tell me what you all think! :D Leave a kudos, comment, put it in a bookmark, I'm still new here! LOL! Hope you all enjoy the chapter! :)

_Nine Years Later..._

* * *

_. . . . . ._

_...It awakened at the start._

_How long had it been sleeping?_

_Nine years...not very long at all..._

_Not long whatsoever. It felt like yesterday when it ate that vagrant...it was_ hungry  _when it arrived here on this world..._

_...It had to escape that other dimensional Verse. Escape from those wretched...filthy,_ inferior  _animals! They were barbarians! They think_ they _were superior to it? It is_ the  **Eternal** _!_ **It** **cannot** **die** _!_

" _Tch...those worms were nothing but_ nuisances _anyways..."_

_It may have been defeated by those mortals from that dimension, but it was still alive and well. A little bit of its consciousness has survived the onslaught and it decided to leave that plane of existence to go to another one. By traveling through the_ **deadlights** _, it found another dimension close by in what seems to be within the same Verse, the one known as the Universe. It was another dimensional reality where there were more of these inferior humans. It didn't care where it was at the moment, it needed to recover...and_ eat.  _As long as this reality had_   _food, it was content._

_When it landed in this reality and ate that vagrant, it looks for a place to sleep, letting it get used to its surroundings. It was in a sewer, which was fine for it. It didn't want any trespassers to sneak up on it while it slept. Once it found a perfect place to hide and rest, it let its web stretch as far as it could go while it sleeps...it appeared it landed in a rapidly growing city. The buildings looked different than the other reality, almost tall and elegant...it looked like it landed near a shore...and the humans..._

_...These mortals can control the elements..._

_When it first found this out...it was..._ mildly _impressed. It formed a mouth and grin, baring its razor-sharp dagger-teeth._

" _Interesting..."_

_Not only that, but there were oddly hybrid looking animals...as well as creatures known as Spirits..._

_Then...there was this person called the_ Avatar...

_Its grin broadened._

" _...Very_ interesting _indeed..."_

_An inferior being thinking he or she is superior than they are?_

" _Hm, hmm...how_ cute _."_

_No mortal is superior than it..._

_This only made it all the more hungry, though. It didn't care if these mortals have powers that are beyond anyone's understanding. One of the many things that it can do that makes it so superior, is that it can_ **adapt** _. It also already knows every single one of these maggots weaknesses._

_All it cared about was one thing... **to eat**._

_And now it has awakened..._

" _...Hmmm...something happened just now..."_

_A murder...one involving blood manipulation._

" _Ooooh, now that sounds_ sublime. _.."_

_But most importantly, it could_ smell _it. The intoxicating aroma..._

_The_ **fear.**   _It was all evident in the city._

_It chuckled darkly._

_Now wasn't the time to feast, though...it has to wait...wait for the right time to appear._

_It will wait...and it will enjoy all of the_ delicious _,_ ripe _,_ **scared**   **flesh** _!_

_Yes...it will be hunting season all over again..._

" _ **Heh...heh...heeeeh..."**_

* * *

_Two weeks later, on the thirteenth day, nearing the end of the first Summer month..._

* * *

Toph was  _exhausted._

Sitting in her office at the back of her wooden ornate desk, she slouched on her metal chair with her arms on each of the armrests, her elbows propped each one of them as her fingers press against the sides of her forehead. She took a deep breath and sighed in frustration, her sightless eyes closed tightly as she rubbed her temples.

_'Spirits, this is getting out of control...'_

The RCPD is working tirelessly on the streets of Republic City. The city had grown rapidly during that time; earth-benders building multiple-storied stone buildings, fire-benders working at factories and receiving out electricity to power up supplies, and water-benders working on plumbing in the newly constructed sewer system. It seemed the elements were working together to make this city a prosperous place to live...however, as the city grows, crime was evident. And Toph, the Chief of RCPD, as well as her police force, has to clean up some of the mess, whether it be property damage, petty theft, or any other small crime.

This crime, though, was much more extreme. Throughout last week, there have been mass murders, probably the first ones since the city's building. It was caused by one man, a water-bender who used blood-bending on his victims ever since Katara made the initial ban of not using blood-bending on the streets except only for medical purposes and environments last month.

Apparently, this person didn't like the ban and decided to take things into his own hands, creating havoc as a statement, like a terrorist to be precise. The serial killer is emitting fear into the people of Republic City, letting them lock their doors to their houses and checking behind themselves when they walk outside. Even the city has a curfew now to remind them to return to their homes if they don't want to be the next victims. Thirteen days in, deaths have been reported throughout the city, with each of the victims' autopsies relating to snapped necks and loss of blood from exploded parts of their skins. It was a gruesome scene, which makes Toph glad that she's blind whenever she comes to the crime scene. These murders had been happening at night, but some murders happened during the day...

Either way, they have to find this person before he or she claims another victim.

_'Twenty-seven deaths...this has to stop,'_ Toph thought in resolute as she opened her sightless eyes.  _'If it doesn't, then who knows who this killer will target next...'_ her eyes narrowed as she thought of another horrible possibility,  _'...if this person harms Katara or any of my friends, then I will break this person's bones...'_

Toph sighed, "What a time to go to the Eastern Air Temple for two weeks, Twinkletoes..."

_'Aang...I wish you were here.'_

It was then she heard frantic footsteps coming up to her office.

The doors opened to reveal an officer who looked out of breath. "Chief! The suspect has been spotted!"

Toph raised her head up in surprise and stood up, "Where, Shin? And how do you know if it's really the person we're looking for?"

"The person, which is a male, is a water-bender for one thing, and...well, Avatar Aang is fighting him right now!"

Her eyes widened in shock,  _'Twinkles...' "_ He's back?"

"Yes, ma'am. He spotted our suspect as he was flying home on his air bison," the officer known as Shin said, "He saw him using blood-bending on someone and he intervened!"

"Well, don't just stand there, lead me to them!" Toph ordered.

* * *

_'I got to find a safer place to fight!'_ Aang thought as he bent the water that was on the street to aim it at the water-bender, trying to freeze him. It proved fruitless as the water-bender directed the frozen particles away from himself, swinging it to form into an icicle, which he launched back at him.

Aang stomped the ground which he shot up a piece of earth from it to shield the incoming projectile as it shattered. He shot the same piece of earth towards the water-bender, hoping it'll hit him so it can immobilize his attacks.

However, the water-bender jumped out of the way and flung sharp frozen water darts at him. Aang conjured up some fire from himself and swiped away at the darts, melting them instantly. The Avatar came into a fire-bending stance.

"Why are you doing this!? You were using blood-bending on that poor woman!" Aang exclaimed to the man.

"Because everyone should see the use of blood-bending! Your wife should've never banned it! And  _you_  shouldn't have come back here so soon!"

"Well, now I'm here!" Aang remarked, "And you leave my wife out of this!"

The man scoffed, "Tch, she would've been my first target, but she wasn't even at her home as well as your brat son!"

Aang's gaze on the man suddenly grew cold, a hard glare on his features, "What is your name?"

"My name is Yakone," the man said, a smug grin pulling up his mouth.

"Well, Yakone, you will not harm anyone here in this city anymore," Aang then used an air-bending stance as he pointed his closed flier staff at Yakone, "including my  _family_!" he exclaimed at the last part.

Yakone gave out a twisted smile, "Just try and stop me, Avatar!"

"I intend too!" Aang said as he twisted his body, opening the tail of his staff and swung it at Yakone, creating a huge airwave missile. Once it hit the water-bender, he let his feet slid on the leftover rainwater that's on the streets. He kicked upwards to sent small ice spikes hurling towards Aang, which he nimbly dodged from left to right.

Yakone then froze the water that was on the street, and with the remaining liquid on the soles of his shoes, he slid and skated over to Aang at a fast pace. As he got closer to the Avatar, he brandished a dagger from its sheath on his belt and prepared to swipe the dagger at him.

Aang had the time to bend backward from the swipe, and twisted his body to his right to give Yakone an air push on his back with his left hand. It knocked the water-bender off his feet a bit, but he regained his footing as his feet slid and froze more water on the street, making him slide to face the Avatar once more.

"Come on, Avatar, fight like a man!" Yakone exclaimed angrily.

Aang swung his staff in his right hand down, "Says the coward who blood-bends innocent people!"

"Hmm...you're right," Yakone said in a tone that sounds unnervingly calm, "I should probably use my blood-bending on people who aren't so  _innocent_ ," he smirked viciously, "How about I use it on you, veteran of war!?" he then put his outstretched hands out in front of him.

Aang tensed...in fact, all of his insides tensed! His face expressed horror as he realized what this feeling could be.

He's being blood-bent!

_'No! Darn it! I should've stopped him while I had the chance!'_ he thought in a panic. He did not want to have the feeling of being controlled from the inside again!

Yakone used his hands to grasp the air and pulled them to himself, which made Aang's leg skid forward. Grunting at the controlled pull, the air-bender tried to regain control of his body.

"Hah! Not even the Avatar can try to fight the use of blood-bending!" the deranged water-bender exclaimed.

But then, someone was coming up from behind the Avatar in a bursting wave of earth. When the person was getting close to the fight at hand, that someone shot up and flew upward in the air and went down to land on the hard earth, causing an earth shock-wave. The shock-wave caught Yakone off guard, making him lose his balance and concentration.

Soon, Aang's whole body felt relief he wasn't being controlled by blood-bending anymore. He shook his leg and arms to get the feeling back into them, looking up to greet the new arrival with a smile, "Toph!"

"Hey, Twinkles," Toph said as she turned her head back to speak to him with a grin, "Welcome back!"

Aang chuckled, "Good to be back! Thanks for saving me back there!"

"Don't thank me just yet!" Toph said as she directs her attention to Yakone, "So this is the maniac that's been blood-bending people?"

"I would think so. His name is Yakone," replied Aang with a nod.

Yakone, after regaining his balance, glared at Toph, "Well, it looks like you found me out! But I won't stop until everyone knows the value of blood-bending! In fact, I'll make you into a statement, Chief Bei Fong!"

Toph then slid her left foot in front of her on the ground and stomped on it, making a piece of earth shoot up and hit Yakone upside the chin, which caused him to fly backward and landed on the ground with a concussion.

"How about  _not_?" Toph said sarcastically.

It was then the rest of the police force arrived by Toph's side. Two of the officers helped Yakone up and contained him with metal orb-ish looking cuffs that not only encases his wrists but his hands. The water-bender was dazed a bit, seeing stars as he was staggering onto his feet.

"Yakone, I place you under arrest for the countless murders you've committed," Toph said in an authoritative tone as she crossed her arms and made a glare at him, "You have the right to remain silent. If you can't be silent, then I'll aim  _lower_ to keep you quiet."

The two officers cringed at the threat, while Yakone shook his head to clear away the stars that are swirling in his head. Yakone then scowled at the Chief of RCPD and look like he was about to say something, until he heard another voice said, "You better do as she says."

It was Aang who came up to Toph's side. Seeing his hard glare along with Toph's made him shut up instantly. He said nothing but kept his look of contempt on them.

"Take him away," Toph firmly said, still holding onto her sightless glare. The officers complied and roughly took him to the arriving jail carrier that's dragged by an ostrich-horse.

"Countless murders?" Aang asked Toph once Yakone was out of sight. He sounded guilty about it.

Toph's glare was gone as it was replaced by a sad frown. "Yeah..."

"...How many of them?" he asked the dreaded question.

Toph cringed, "Do you really want to know that?

Aang went silent...until he said, "It wasn't a lot, was it?"

"...About twenty-seven. Twenty-eight if you haven't stepped in," Toph answered.

Cringing at the amount, Aang shook his head and sighed, "Spirits..."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Twinkletoes. You didn't know."

"I still feel like I should've helped out though..." he looked at Toph, "I'm so sorry, Toph."

Toph sighed solemnly, "Hey, what happened, happened. Don't think it's all your fault, Aang. You didn't know some maniac was gonna start blood-bending people."

Aang frowned, "Still..." however, he remembered something as his eyes widened, "Are Katara and Bumi alright?"

"Don't worry, Twinkletoes, they're fine. They're at Snoozles and Fan Girl's place along with their kids. I made sure they're safe."

A sigh of relief came out of Aang's mouth as he smiled at Toph, "Thank you so much, Toph."

"Hey, no prob." Toph turns to him with a smile. "Actually, I should be thanking you for finding our guy for me."

Chuckling at that, Aang said, "Well, I guess it's a good thing I finished training the air-benders and the air acolytes so early then."

"How is that, by the way?" Toph asked him.

"It's going pretty well! The air acolytes are getting there with the bending aspect of it, while the air-benders are doing good on learning the advanced techniques. Now if only if they know how to master the air scooter." Aang as he scratched the side of his face sheepishly.

Toph chuckled, "Well, either way, it's good to have ya back, Twinkles." she said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

Aang smiled gratefully, "It's good to be back."

Toph smiled back...she then lifts her hand off his shoulder and brushed her fingers on his face.

"Wha-Toph?" Aang said in shock and blushed red.

She then snickered, "You still have that beard on you? Come on, Twinkletoes, you know Katara can't stand that thing!"

Blinking, Aang realized that Toph was just feeling the beard stubble on his face. Laughing nervously, he said, "Hey, I like to think I look rugged with this beard."

"Sorry, Twinkletoes, but when I think rugged, I don't necessarily think you," Toph said as she placed her hands on her wide hips with a smirk.

Aang pouted, "Hey, you don't even know what I look like. And are you ever gonna stop calling me by that name?"

Toph laughed softly, "Touche'. And nope, afraid not,  _Twinkletoes_."

Rolling his eyes, but having a smile on his face, Aang said, "Anyway, you really did clean this whole situation up pretty nicely, Toph."

"Hey, it comes to being Chief of Police," Toph shrugged with a grin.

"I still can't to this day, believe you're involved with police authority," Aang commented with a smirk.

"Eh, people change over time," Toph said with a wave of a dismissive hand.

Aang laughed, "For you, some change."

Before Toph could say anything else, reporters came up to them suddenly with an ink pen and a notepad. "Chief Bei Fong! Avatar Aang! You both have captured the maniac who's been blood-bending everyone! What were his motives?"

"Avatar Aang, you've returned from your two week trip to the Eastern Air Temple! How has training the air acolytes air-bending been going?"

"Why have you returned home to Republic City so early, Avatar Aang?"

"Alright, alright!" said Toph, "Give him some room! My side will answer the 'maniac' questions, while the Avatar's side answers the 'trip' questions."

The reporters complied and each side asked the other their questions, leaving Aang and Toph to answer each one.

_'It's good to be back,'_ Aang thought with a smile as he answered a question.

_'It's good to have you back, Aang.'_ Toph thought with a smile as well before answering a question.

* * *

"And then, the little turtle-duckling quacked to his mommy," Katara read from the children's book, and imitated the turtle-duckling, "' _Momma, why do I look different from everyone else?',_ and then the momma turtle-duck said,  _'I don't think you're different, darling. You're just like everyone else. Although, I would think you're a_ very _special little turtle-duck'_."

Katara was seated and read a page from a children's book to three kids that were in front of her. She read it with such devotion to the three kids that they were enthralled. From oldest to youngest, the children's ages ranged to eight, seven, and four, which the oldest was a tanned skinned boy with brown hair, the middle child a boy with lightly tanned skin with darker hair, and the youngest being a girl with shoulder length brown hair, and her skin being tanned also.

The children sat there quietly, listening to the story told by the water-bender. The middle child looked up at Katara with a smile as he rests his chin on his hands, while the oldest leaned back on his hands with a curious look on his face. The youngest girl looked up at the adult with awe as Katara lets her and the boys look at the pictures that were in the book when she finished a page.

While Katara kept reading the story to them, Suki was standing by looking at the scene with warmth. Her sister-in-law certainly can captivate a younger audience, as well as make a charming story for children. Her very first children's book that she made entitled "The Little Turtle-Duck" flew off the shelves in literature stores and made their homes to families who love a good wholesome story for their kids. It was about a little turtle-duck who looked different than all the other little turtle-ducklings but made friends in the most unlikely places.

As Suki stood there, the sound of a mechanical ring came into existence. Averting her attention away from the sweet scene, she went to her and Sokka's very own telephone that they've installed months ago. The telephone was really a miraculous invention, made by a small but revolutionary company called Future Industries. Only a few of the wealthy and elite had these luxury items, and she and Sokka were one of the lucky customers to buy the gadget.

As soon as she went to the phone, she picked up the handle and lift it up to put the receiver to her ear and the speaker to her mouth. "Hello, this is Suki."

" _Heya Fan-Girl!"_

"Oh, Toph!" Suki said with a smile, "How's it going, Little-Big Girl?"

" _Ugh, Suki, must you always call me that whenever you greet me?"_ Suki could hear Toph's eyes rolling.

"Hey, you call me by my nickname sometimes, and I call you by yours. Just be happy no one is using it in your station, hence this phone business," Suki said with a smirk.

" _Heh, if they ever did, I'll be damn well demoting them all."_

Suki giggled, "I don't see how you're not getting any addresses over there. I mean, I know you're their superior, but still."

" _I like to think they're intimidated by me."_ Suki could imagine the smirk on Toph's face,  _"Okay, enough of the girl talk. I actually called to let you know that the serial blood-bender that's been killing everyone is taken into custody."_

"Really?" Suki said in surprise, "Oh, that's great, Toph! Oh, thank goodness!" she sighed in relief, "The kids, especially Katara, will be happy to know that!"

" _Well, actually, I can't take all the credit. Twinkletoes is here, too. He spotted the guy while he was flying Appa."_

"Aang is here?"

" _Yep. He came home a little early..."_ There was soft chatter on the other line, and Suki can hear Toph saying something away from the speaker of her phone,  _"Keep your robes on, Twinkles, I'm gonna give it to you,"_ she then spoke into it again, " _Are_ _Katara and Bumi there? He wants to speak with them."_

"Oh, yes, they're here! Katara is reading her book to Bumi and the kids. I'll go get them."

" _Thanks! I'll give it to Twinkles once they're on the line."_

"Okay then! Hold on," Suki place the phone handle on a counter and made her way to the living quarters to find Katara still in her 'story time' mode, "Katara, Bumi! Someone's on the phone who wants to speak to you two!"

The middle boy, whose name is Bumi, turned in his sitting position to look at his aunt(along with her other kids), while Katara looked at Suki curiously.

"Oh? Who's that?" Katara asked.

"Well, Toph is on the phone, but also, Aang is with her,"

"Aang?" Katara said in surprise.

"Daddy?" Bumi said with a hopeful smile.

Suki smiled, "Yep! He came home early!"

Bumi smiled big, "Yaaaay!" He got up and dashed over to where the phone is, all the while passing Suki, saying a quick "Excuse me!". He went to the phone handle that was on the counter, and on his tiptoes, he grabbed it. Placing the phone next to his ear, the speaker below his mouth, he said, "Dad?"

A feminine chuckle came from the other line,  _"Hey Squirt! Not your dad, but he's standing here right next to me eager to talk to ya!"_

Bumi's smile grew wider, "Alright! And thanks, Auntie Toph!"

" _No prob! Here he is."_

Soon, after some rustling, another voice came on the line.

" _Hey, Bumi!"_

"Hey, Dad!" Bumi grinned, hearing his father's voice.

" _How's it going, little man? I decided to come home early! I hope you've been a good boy while I was gone?"_

"Yep! I've been really good! I looked out for Momma and everything!"

Aang chuckled,  _"Fantastic, Bumi! I'm sure you would handle anyone with your water-bending, just like your Mom! Hey, Bumi, guess what? Auntie Toph and I just stopped a bad guy this afternoon! He's been doing really bad things and your Auntie Toph knocked him square in the jaw with her earth-bending!"_

"Whoa! Really!?" Bumi asked in awe.

* * *

"That's right!" Aang said with a smile towards Toph, who smiled as well as leaned back on her desk. "She took care of him with a stomp of her foot!"

"Oh, come on, Twinkles, I can't really give out all the credit here," Toph raised her voice to let Bumi hear her, "You dad did pretty alright himself! He stalled him enough for me in time to get my men there!"

"Toph..." Aang blushed.

" _Wow! You fought the bad guy too, Dad? That's so cool!"_ Bumi said excitement.

"Well...heh, it's all in a days work for the Avatar," Aang said sheepishly.

" _Awesome! I wish I was there to see it along with Auntie Toph!"_

"Oh, no Bumi. You wouldn't want to be where the bad guy was. He could try to threaten you and I wouldn't live with myself if anything happened to you," Aang said seriously.

Toph's smile faltered as he said that. She lowered her head to 'look' at the floor in her office, silent as she heard Aang talk to Bumi.

" _Hey, I can take him! Mom taught me water-bending techniques!"_

Aang shook his head at Bumi's naivety with a chuckle, "Well, you don't have to worry about the bad guy anymore. Are you at your Uncle and Aunt's house?"

" _Yep! I'm in Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki's house! Me, Hako and Kana were listening to Mom read her book!"_

"Awww, that's great! Your mother made a precious story out of it."

" _Yeah! And it's about turtle-ducks! I really love them!"_

Aang chuckled some more, "How about we go to the park this afternoon and see them at the pond?"

" _Really!? Alright! That'd be great!"_

Smiling at his enthusiasm, Aang said, "Alright then! I'll be over there in just a bit. I'm at the police station right now, so I'll swing by and we'll get to the park!"

" _Okay, Dad!"_

"Hey, Bumi, can I speak to your mother for a moment? I need to see if she's okay as well."

* * *

"Okay! I'll get her! Bye, Dad! See you then!" Bumi put the wired phone handle on the counter and went over to his mother who was standing next to the kitchen entryway, where she overheard Bumi and Aang's conversation. "Hey, Mom! Dad wants to talk to you!"

Katara giggled, "I heard," she patted his head and gave him a kiss on the forehead, which Bumi reacted with an "Eyuck!". Laughing softly at her son's reaction, she went over to the phone that was resting on the counter and picked it up, saying into it, "Aang! You're back home early!"

" _Heh, yep! Ended training lessons quicker than I thought, and on a good note! The acolytes and the air-benders are doing all they can to start a new era of air-bending!"_

"Well, that's great! It's so good that these last remaining air-benders decided to come out of hiding. And who would've thought the air acolytes would even know how to bend?" Katara commented.

" _I know, heh! But hey, now I'm back and I'm ready to see both of you after two weeks!"_ Aang was silent for a second,  _"Are you doing okay though, Katara? I heard about the blood-bender that had been terrorizing Republic City for the last two weeks."_

"Oh, don't worry, Aang. Bumi and I are just fine. We've been staying at my brother and Suki's house this week before it got too serious in the city."

" _...Still, I'm so sorry I wasn't there to stop anything."_

"Oh, Aang, don't blame yourself," Katara said in a soft tone. She then softly smiled and said, "I heard from Bumi that you and Toph caught a 'bad guy'? I'm hoping that's the maniac who's been blood-bending people."

" _It was. He was trying to look for you and Bumi..."_

Katara frowned at the silence, "Aang-"

" _I don't want anything to happen to you two...I still feel like it's my fault. I should've been there for you and for my son."_

Katara winced, "Aang...we're okay. That's all that matters."

" _I know. I just...I just don't want Bumi to feel like...like I'm not there for him. …Actually, I haven't been there for Bumi lately."_

"Aang, you didn't know all the air-benders were gonna come out that day." Katara tried to reason.

" _I know, but..."_ Katara heard Aang sigh,  _"They came out after Bumi's fifth birthday. I was so focused on my people that I...almost neglected you and Bumi. I mean...I don't want him to grow up not knowing anything about his father..."_

Katara cringed...she took a deep breath and let it out. "Aang. Don't worry about it. He doesn't think anything less of you. He loves you and I know you love him. He's just happy that you're home...and so am I."

" _...Thank you, Darling...I needed that."_

She smiled warmly, "Anytime...so, when are you coming over to the house?"

" _Huh? Oh, uh...I can come right now."_

"That would be great! We'll wait for you! And...I'm really glad you're back Aang. Bumi is too," Katara said with a smile. "I love you."

" _I love you too, Katara Dear. I'll, um, I'll see you then."_

"Sure thing...bye," Katara said as she hung up the phone.

* * *

Aang gave the phone to Toph, who stood had her head lowered. Aang blinked, "Toph?"

"...Heh, way to go, Twinkles. It looks like you're doing well on realizing what's important," Toph said, with a sly smirk as she took the phone out of Aang's hand and placed the phone handle on the electrical box on her desk.

Smiling at his friend and chuckling, Aang said matter-of-factually, "Hey, you always keep my head in place."

She chuckled as well, "Then I guess I'm doing my job right. An enforcer of the law always has to give people a push in the right direction."

Aang shook his head, "Still, to this day, I don't know how you woke up one day and said to yourself,  _'I want to be a police officer'_.

"Hey, it's fun to bark orders around here."

Aang chuckled once more, "Hey, you know, how about you go with me and see the kids along with Suki and Katara? You could have a break right now, can you? The kids would love to see you."

Toph grinned, "Heh, I'm betting Bumi and Hako would love to see me even more."

"Well, you are kind of their hero. That and..." Aang briefly glanced at her chest and back at Toph's face with a sheepish smile, "Well...boys will be boys."

Toph laughs, "And these," she points to her endowed breasts, "Are my girls."

Aang blushed and chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Toph snickered, "But seriously, I'm glad to be their role model, even for little Kana. Perhaps I should teach em' some of the stuff I did back in my old days back in Gaoling?"

"Uh, Toph, we don't want them to be compulsive gamblers."

Toph guffawed, "Oh, Twinkles!" she smiled at the Avatar, "But as for the invitation, sure! I can use a break after solving this case. Plus, I love to see those little tykes! "

Aang softly laughed, "Well then, ladies first!" he said with a 'go on ahead' gesture as he stepped aside.

"Pfft! Very gentlemen of ya," and with that, Toph walked out of her office. Aang was about to follow her when his eyes briefly glanced at her full bottom.

Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he stood straight and walked behind Toph, looking forward ahead as he was careful enough to not look at any part of her body.

" _...If Toph ever finds someone, he's gonna be one lucky guy."_

However, unknown to Aang, Toph is hiding a smirk as she caught his heartbeat just in time to know that he was looking at her 'goods'.

_'Heh-heh. Thanks for the heartbeat, Aang.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, as Katara hung up the phone, she stood there...and sighed.

"Katara?" Suki said as she entered the kitchen. Katara's posture stood straight so as to not attract unwanted attention, "Is Aang coming over?"

"Oh, yes, he is! I think we're gonna go back to our house now," Katara said with a smile.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing, I'm glad that whole blood-bending fiasco is-"

_**RIIIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIING!** _

The two women blinked at the phone in surprise.

'Well, that's funny..." Suki went to pick up the phone and said into the speaker, "Hello? Suki here."

" _Um...hey, Suki."_

"Zuko?" Suki said with her eyebrows going up.

"Zuko?" Katara's eyes widened in shock.

" _Yeah. Um...I was trying to call Katara a while ago and...she didn't answer. I heard about a blood-bending maniac going around in Republic City and...well, have you heard from her and...and Bumi? And...is Aang there with them?"_

"Oh, well, um...are you in Republic City right now?" Suki asked.

" _Um...almost. I'm on an airship right now using a phone...and I'm thinking I'm at the vicinity of where the phones can reach Republic City. I uh, I heard about the news on what's happening over there at the city two days ago. Word kind of travels...slow back at the Fire Nation."_

"Oh...well, you don't have to worry, Zuko. Katara, Bumi, and Aang are all fine," Suki said, and then asked, "Are you really heading your way over here?"

" _Well...yeah. I have to look out for my family and friends...and B-Bumi, you know?"_

"Oh, well...that's sweet." Suki smiled, "Do you, uh...want to talk to Katara? She's right here next to me."

" _She is!? I mean...oh, okay. Uh, yeah, I would like to talk to her for a moment, if that's alright."_

"Sure thing! Here she is!" Suki handed the phone to Katara, who looked at the phone in slight hesitation. After a second, she took the phone out of Suki's hand and said into the phone, "Hello? Zuko?"

" _Katara! Hey, um...how are you?"_

"Oh, I'm doing fine."

Suki mouthed to Katara ' _I'll leave_ ', and left her alone in the kitchen with Zuko on the other line.

" _Oh, good! How's, um...how's Bumi?"_

"He's doing very well," she said with a soft smile, "He really likes the book I came up with. He says it's one of his favorite stories and I think he's really proud that I made it."

" _Well, you do display some warm and natural storytelling. And I would be proud too if my Mother made a children's book that entertains lots of kids."_

Katara blushed a tad, "Thank you, Zuko. How is your mother, by the way?"

" _She's doing well! She, Iroh, and Azula are coming over to Republic City for summer vacation to see you all."_

"Oh, that's great, Zuko!" Katara grinned. She then smirked, "Heh, I guess you're the one who couldn't wait to see us all then, huh?"

" _Heh, well...there was a maniac going around in your neck of the woods and I was concerned, so...well, there you go."_

Katara giggled, "Well, I'm glad you're coming to Republic City early. Bumi would so happy to see you."

" _...Would he really?"_

"Of course, Zuko. He says that you give him the best gifts ever. His words, not mine. He loves you too, you know?"

" _...Thank you, Katara."_

"No problem," Katara to change topics, "So, um...how  _is_ Azula, actually?"

" _Oh, Azula is getting better and better. She's practically sane enough to walk around the streets and communicate with people."_

"Oh Zuko, that's wonderful to hear!"

" _Yeah...if mother, uncle and I hadn't reached out to her sooner during those years...I don't know what kind of state of mind she'd be in...I rather not think about it."_

Katara frowned at the thought. However, she smiled softly and said, "Well then, don't. She's getting better. I wouldn't be surprised if she was already healed from the trauma that she had to endure."

" _...Yeah...you know Katara, I mean it. You give me so much hope."_

Katara blushed, "Ah, come on, Zuko, don't flatter me like this. If anything, you give me hope."

Zuko chuckled on the other line,  _"Well...it looks like we both give each other hope."_

Katara smiled, "Yeah..."

They were silent for a moment...

"...Bumi looks just like his father." Katara said suddenly,

" _...I hope not."_

Katara frowned, "Zuko..."

" _...I'm...I'm sorry for saying that. I'll, um...I'll be landing in two hours. I'll see you, Bumi, and...the rest of the gang soon. I'll...I'll see you all later, Katara."_

Katara's frown went deeper, feeling...ashamed. "I...I'll see you later too, Zuko."

" _Yeah...well, um...bye..."_

"Bye..."

And with that Katara hung up the phone. She stood there, her frown a mixture of remorse, shame, and sadness on her face.

"Momma?"

Standing straight once more, she shook her head and turned to the small voice belonging to Bumi. He came into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"When is Daddy coming home?" he asked.

Katara gazed at Bumi for a second until she smiled warmly, "He's coming home real soon."

Bumi tilted his head to the side in confusion, "When is that?"

Katara giggled, "You'll just have to wait and see, Bumi Dear."

Bumi pouted, "Awww, I hate waiting."

Smiling at her son, the water-bender told him, "Well, how about we play a game to pass the time?"

Bumi eyes lit up, "Oh! Can we play Pai Sho?"

Katara giggled softly, "Sure, Honey."

"Alright!" Bumi exclaimed.

"Also, someone else is coming over here, Bumi," Katara stated

Looking even more curious, he asked "Really? Who?"

"Uncle Zuko!" Katara said with cheer.

His eyes widened with shock and amazement, "Really!? But I thought he was coming until two days after Dad comes home!"

"Well, technically, your father is home, and..." she paused for a second until she continued, "and Zuko is coming over here after your father came home early."

Bumi looked at his mother oddly, "But...Uncle Zuko is coming here even earlier than Dad was."

The water-bender softly laughed, "Well, either way, I'm certain Zuko is getting you something really nice."

Grinning at the thought of Zuko giving him something cool, Bumi said, "Alright! Uncle Zuko has the best gifts! He's really cool too, and I like how he fire-bends!"

"Well maybe you get to see some of his moves," Katara stated as she smiled sweetly.

"Aw, that would be so cool!" Bumi's eyes lit up with excitement.

Chuckling, Katara said, "Okay, let's play a game of Pai Sho. Maybe your cousins would like to play too."

"Yeah! I'll go get them!" Bumi then rushed out of the kitchen. Katara heard the other kids voices as she walked out of the kitchen as well

"Hey Hako, Kana! Want to play Pai Sho!?

"Pai Sho? No way! That game's too hard!" Hako told him.

"I'll play!" Kana chimed in happily.

"What!? You don't know how to play, Kana!"

"I do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Bumi laughed at their little argument, while Katara looked on at the scene giggling.

_'Yes...everything is fine...everything_ will _be fine.'_ Katara thought with a smile.

* * *

_**...Heh...heh...heeeeeh...** _

_**These mortals from this dimension surely are...** _ **interesting** **_._ **

_**The Avatar most especially.** _

_**...Hee-heeeee...** _

_**And sometimes...interesting can add a great amount of** _ **flavor** **_!_ **

_**But I still must be patient...it is not the time to feast, sadly...** _

_**I must wait...** _

_**But when it IS time...** _

_**...They'll all float.** _

_**...They'll...all...** _ **FLOAT.**

_**HA-HA-HA-HAAAA!** _


End file.
